Mike Thompson was first elected to represent California’s 1st Congressional District in 1998. The district includes all of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa Counties, as well as portions of Sonoma and Yolo Counties.  Prior to his election to Congress, Thompson represented California’s 2nd District in the California State Senate, where he chaired the powerful Budget Committee and authored California’s landmark Welfare Reform Act.

Thompson is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, serving on the Health and Select Revenue Measures subcommittees.  He is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence where is a member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism/HUMINT, Analysis and Counterintelligence and Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management. 

He is the co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Wine Caucus, which consists of more than 215 U.S. Senators and House members committed to supporting the wine and grape industries.  Thompson is also a member and former co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.  He is also a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, which is composed of moderate Democrats committed to bipartisan problem solving, where he serves as co-chair of the Health Taskforce.

Thompson has the distinction of being the first Vietnam veteran elected to the California State Senate.  He served in combat with the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart.  He was also an instructor at the Army’s Airborne School.

Thompson is recognized in Congress and throughout his district as a moderate Democrat who has built a solid reputation for bipartisan problem solving.  Among the many critical issues that Thompson works on, he is particularly dedicated to increasing access to healthcare in rural areas, conserving our natural resources, reducing the impact of global climate change and promoting fiscal responsibility in government.

Thompson currently owns a small vineyard in his district and was previously the maintenance supervisor for the Beringer Winery.  He has also taught Public Administration and State Government at San Francisco State University and California State University, Chico, his alma mater for both his bachelor and master degrees.

He is married to Janet Thompson, a family nurse practitioner. They have two sons, a firefighter and a deputy sheriff, and four grandchildren.